China Aid Association(Chengdu, Sichuan – Dec. 24, 2010) Police raided a house church Christmas eve service in the southwestern city of Chengdu on Friday night, taking into custody 17 believers, including one pregnant woman, sources told ChinaAid.Wang Yi, an elder of the Autumn Rain Church in Chengdu, Sichuan province, was taken to the local Caoshi Road police station, while the other brothers and sisters, as well as one non-Christian “seeker,” were interrogated inside a police vehicle belonging to the Jinjiang sub-bureau.When many Christians and friends called the Caoshi Road police station at about 11 p.m. demanding to know what was going on, the police did not know how to respond, saying they had asked for instructions from their higher-ups but had gotten no reply. The same night, all those who had been taken into custody were released, and Wang was released at 12:40 a.m. Saturday. In this way, a peaceful Christmas eve gathering of the Autumn Rain Church was deliberately and illegally ruined by the police.ChinaAid Association condemns the Chengdu authorities for their illegal raid on the Autumn Rain Church and for the totally superfluous act of taking church members into custody. It expresses its great respect to Wang, the other believers and the non-Christian “seeker.” By suffering persecution for the sake of your faith on Christmas eve, you have truly lived out the real meaning of Christmas.ChinaAid ContactsT

"Bob Fu has dedicated his life to bringing freedom of religion to the Chinese people. His story is a testimony to the power of faith and an inspiration to people struggling to break free from oppression." —Mrs. Laura Bush